House of the Dragon Star Emma D'Arcy Reacts to Viral Negroni Meme

While House of the Dragon was a bonafide hit for HBO when it premiered last year, one aspect of the series has uniquely permeated into our popular culture. An interview with House of the Dragon stars Emma D'Arcy and Olivia Cooke went viral right around the show's premiere, in which they voiced their appreciation for the Negroni Sbagliato cocktail. The clip, and the memes that spun out of it, arguably reached an iconic status — and apparently, that had an unexpected impact on D'Arcy themselves. While appearing in The Hollywood Reporter's actress roundtable, D'Arcy revealed that they were sent tons of Negroni Sbagliato components shortly after the meme went viral, but were eager to have another drink instead.

"I got sent a lot and you know, it makes a lovely gift," D'Arcy said with a laugh. "But there was a period where I was desperate for a lager."

Has House of the Dragon Been Renewed for Season 2?

HBO quickly renewed House of the Dragon for a second season last fall, just a month after Season 1 first premiered. A release date for Season 2 of House of the Dragon has not yet been set, but the show has continued production amid the ongoing Writers Guild of America strike, so it might not suffer from much of a delay.

"The second season of House of the Dragon started filming April 11 and will continue in London and Wales," franchise author George R.R. Martin wrote on his blog earlier this year. "The scripts for the eight S2 episodes were all finished months ago, long before the strike began. Every episode has gone through four or five drafts and numerous rounds of revisions, to address HBO notes, my notes, budget concerns, etc. There will be no further revisions. The writers have done their jobs; the rest is in the hands of the directors, cast and crew... and of course the dragons."

How Many Episodes Will House of the Dragon Season 2 Be?

As HBO confirmed in March of this year, House of the Dragon will have eight episodes in its second season, as opposed to the ten episode order of its first season. Plot details are currently unknown, but it sounds like the episodes will deliver on some major elements.

"I'm excited to pick up where we left off," showrunner Ryan Condal explained earlier this year. "Now we get to fall into the more traditional rhythms of storytelling and Game of Thrones. We've always talked about this particular tale, George [R.R. Martin] has too, of being a Shakespearean or Greek tragedy. This series is very much about a house tearing itself apart from within. Now that all those pieces have been set on the board, I'm really excited to tell the next chapter, to see what happens now that Viserys is gone and no longer keeping a lid on things."

What is House of the Dragon about?

House of the Dragon finds the Targaryen dynasty at the absolute apex of its power, with more than 15 dragons under their yoke. Most empires-real and imagined-crumble from such heights. In the case of the Targaryens, their slow fall begins almost 193 years before the events of Game of Thrones, when King Viserys Targaryen breaks with a century of tradition by naming his daughter Rhaenyra heir to the Iron Throne. But when Viserys later fathers a son, the court is shocked when Rhaenyra retains her status as his heir, and seeds of division sow friction across the realm."

Paddy Considine, Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, Emma D'Arcy, Steve Toussaint, Eve Best, Fabien Frankel, Sonoya Mizuno, and Rhys Ifans star in the series.

What do you think of Emma D'Arcy's reaction to the House of the Dragon Negroni meme? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!